……
Questions & Answers about La statua è di bronzo.
Why do we use di before bronzo? Can't we use in?
In Italian, di indicates the material something is made of. It’s the standard preposition for material: una camicia di cotone, una statua di marmo. While you might hear in bronzo, that’s less common and often used for product categories (e.g. un vaso in vetro). For sculptures and works of art, di bronzo is the norm.
Why is there no article after di in di bronzo?
When di expresses material, the noun that follows is uncountable and indefinite. You drop the article: una scultura di pietra, not una scultura di la pietra.
What is the function of è in this sentence?
È is the third-person singular of essere (“to be”). It links the subject la statua to its attribute di bronzo, stating that the statue is made of bronze.
Is bronzo here a noun or an adjective?
Here bronzo is a noun denoting the material. It follows di because di governs a noun. If it were an adjective, it would agree in gender and number with statua (e.g. statua piccola).
Could you say La statua è fatta di bronzo instead?
Yes: La statua è fatta di bronzo (“The statue is made of bronze”) is perfectly correct. It’s slightly more explicit because fatta (made) emphasizes the process of creation.
Why do we use the definite article la before statua?
La specifies a particular statue that both speaker and listener know about. If you meant any statue, you’d use the indefinite article: Una statua di bronzo (“a bronze statue”).
How would you say a bronze statue in Italian?
You have two main options:
- Una statua di bronzo (literal: “a statue of bronze”)
- Una statua in bronzo (less common but acceptable, emphasizes material)
How do you translate La statua è di bronzo literally?
Word-for-word it’s The statue is of bronze, but in natural English we’d say The statue is made of bronze or simply The statue is bronze.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Italian grammar?”
Italian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning ItalianMaster Italian — from La statua è di bronzo to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions